I have one and…
I find it pretty useless too…
Hi! I’m Sing And
– Last Updated: Jan-11-04 8:45 AM EST –
I admit to having a slight knife fetish. :) Seriously, I love sharp tools and have a decent collection of production and custom knives.
After losing a great custom fixed blade made of talonite (non rusting alloy), this titanium knife has become my favorite for kayaking:
http://www.island-scuba.com/page/001/PROD/Knife/KN16T
Titanium will not hold an edge as long as good stainless steel but it will never, ever rust. Not even, most important for me, in the salt water environment. For that non rusting quality, you need to be proficient at sharpening your own knife. A good skill to have anyway.
Stainless steel in the salt environment still need assidious care. A fixed blade is easier to care in terms of rinsing and cleaning. A folder is fine in fresh water. However, in salt, the pivot area of a folder is very succeptible to rusting because you may not have rinsed sufficiently to clean away accumulated salt and sand that are hidden in the pivot area. That means a bit more periodic maintenance with taking apart the folder, if possible. Some of the less expensive folders cannot be taken apart because the pivot is built around a rivet. More expensive folders use small screws to hold the pivot post in place and allows for disassembly.
Anyway, the titanium fixed blace has worked well for me. It hangs off one of my shoulder straps and I haven't hand any problems thusfar with it hanging things up. Can't beat the price. Not too long ago, titanium knives were much more expensive, going for 300 percent or more than the one posted above.
I like my knives with pointed tips. I think this gives the knife more utility and applications this way. Just my preference over some of the other tip configurations.
sing
certified knife knut.
yak blade
I have searched for, and found, the best blades FOR ME.
I use a cheap copy of the CRKT Bearclaw. And my favorite, the Smith and Wesson HRT with a serrated blade.
The finger hole style is great to hold on to with wet or slimey hands.
If you want a blunt tip, put it on a grinder for a couple seconds.
For knife design freaks.
– Last Updated: Jan-12-04 5:53 PM EST –
The Bear Claw is a knockoff of the lagriffe. With a handle to make it look different. There are a lot of ways to go on this choice. From a 15 dollar taiwanese knife to a gorgeous stellite never-rust, sharp as heck over $100 knife. Not everyone will want to spend good money but whatever you end up with, cut a line as thick as your tow line or rescue line with it once a season or so, so you know where you stand. If you're sawing, that dog won't hunt!
Another Emerson
In principle, I prefer a fixed blade for kayaking, but this one’s a folder - and seems to have the right blade features. Prblem is it’s expensive. Probably too rich for my blood.
http://www.1sks.com/store/emerson-sark.html
Same site - different knife
– Last Updated: Jan-11-04 11:42 PM EST –
I like the blade design and size on this one - a chisel point mini dive knife with serrated on side, straight the other, and a line hook. A litte smaller than most others I'm looking at. Pretty cheap too. Wish I could find something more like this in titaniun as I've had trouble keeping some cheap dive knives rust free.
http://www.island-scuba.com/page/001/PROD/Knife/KN110
Others that look good are the Benchmades with H1 steel, including the River Rescue partially serrated fixed blade and the new 6H2O Rescue Hook. Also the Columbia River Hammond ABC Dive Knife Rescue Blunt Tip. Also looking at the lagriffes and cheaper similar blades from CRT and S&W. Finger hole makes sense.
Skip the dirt cheap Chinese lookalikes - they aren't so similar in person. Lot's of really cheap neck knives like these on eBay, etc. Junk.
Most of the quality fixed blades with the features I want are just a bit bigger than what I really want hanging on my PFD - may try that little dive blade - or keep looking.
certainly no folder!
I use a shorty non folder Gerber with chisel point
clipped to my PFD, that I only use for safety reasons,
emergencies and such.
For ‘normal’ use I have a Boker Specialist I (tanto) knife
with me, in the canoe.
The Boker Specialist really is one of the most practical
lightweight knifes for a relatively reasonable price IMO.
Me
Bench made Non-Folder. has a cool plastic lock-in sheath that allows it to be attached any direction you like.
That does sound cool!
Can you give me mofe info on the knife so that I can take a look. Always wanting to see what is up!
Two for me…
I carry two knives while paddling/fishing. One is for entanglement emergencies and the other is a daily tool.
*a Gerber skinning knife with a razor blade that can be changed in a minute. It will cut through a trot-line, a one inch strap, or a 1/4" braided nylon rope in one swipe without fear of the blade touching me. It comes with a nylon sheath and has a little pocket for extra blades. Only cost about $10.
http://www.gerberblades.com/products/view.php?model=5924
*an inexpensive folding, lock blade such as the one I carry every day in my pocket. After losing a nice Benchmade folder a couple of years ago I’ve been using el-cheapos as daily tools so I won’t shed tears when I break or lose it.
Whatever knife you end up with…
Remember if your w.w. kayaking (or canoing) and you need a knife fast!..be prepared! Wet-exiting in fast water with strainers can be deadly, if you can’t reach your knife and you get hung up your in for a world of hurt.
Be Safe!
JOP
nice!, but???$$$
well
you get what you pay for…
and you pay for what you get!
They do look nice though.
Very cool knife, but questions
At $38.99 for a titanium knife seems almost too good to be true. a couple of questions on this one.
- Any compromises you have seen on quality on this one?
- How do you sharpen it? With a regular whetstone, or does it require something of greater hardness to get it sharp?
- Does it attach securely to your PFD? The two different knives and sheaths I have had have been a challenge to attach to a PFD.
- Any issues ordering from this company?
Thanks for posting about this knife. Sounds like a great. Although, my main concern is the overall 7.5 in length. I found my first knife too long. It got in the way of doing re entrys and general paddling.
Not necessarily my choice for…
… having a true knife along, but a similar thread on the Monocacy Canoe Club message board, hundreds of replies to wade through, had several respondents speak glowingly of simple EMT shears. Mind you, these were primarily whitewater folks who wanted a clip-on-the-PFD, quick means for cutting through strainer-snagged lines, fabric, and especially nylon webbing. And when your $2.50 to $5 stainless steel and plastic purchase goes kerplunk to the bottom, there will be none of the tears, as with your deep-sixed $50 titanium sabers, to blurr your next rapid, best-line seeking vision.
When my EMT neighbor gave me a pair, demonstrating their ability to easily clip through a penny, I was impressed. And the blunt scoop on the bottom jaw means I’ll not be perforating myself, PFD, or someone elses carcass should I need to slide the cutting blade between a current tensed line or strap and the me/them festooned to a strainer.
So, they seem to make sense for the job. Just can’t help thinking that at some point I’ll need the quick slashing motion capability that a knife provides.
TW
For Extras
Not good enough for a primary safety knife, but for $20 a Gerber LST is good for an extra(s).
Answers
"At $38.99 for a titanium knife seems almost too good to be true. a couple of questions on this one."
No country of origin on the blade, which leads me to think Taiwan or China. Titanium knives which were for awhile the mainstay of USA company, Mission Knives, cost over $100 for a similar size knife.
- Any compromises you have seen on quality on this one?
THe sheath is is ordinary plastic as opposed to the more expensive kydex that is found in higher end knife sheaths. The handle is also plastic with rubber inlaid for better grip. I think the sheath may be the weak point – possibility of cracking on high impact. Kydex will not crack.
- How do you sharpen it? With a regular whetstone, or does it require something of greater hardness to get it sharp?
Titanium knives are kept to a lower Rockwell rating (RC) scale. I believe no more than mid 40’s. After that, it becomes too brittle and will crack if the edge hits something hard. In comparison high end stainless steel - ATS34 (Japanese) and CM154 (US equivilent) - is brought up to a RC rating of 59-60. It is a hard edge but with still enough resiliency to not crack on hitting a staple while cutting. Higher RC rating means a longer lasting edge but it also means a tougher time sharpening. Most steels can sharpen well with regular whetstones, ceramic sharpeners and diamond hones. BTW, ceramic blades are also available. The RC ratings are much higher thus requiring diamond hones. Ceramic being much harder, holds an edge for a very long time. It is also rust proof. However, they’ve been known to crack or shatter when dropped on a stone. Thus not an ideal choice. Stellite/talonite/Boye Dendentric are cobalt based alloys. Never rust and they maintain an edge well (has to do with microsize serrations taking form on the edge). I love this stuff but very expensive. The only factory making a production knife with Cobalt alloy right now is Camillius Knives with their talonite Talon – regular size and mini. Boye knives (semi custom) is using his Boye Dendentric in his fixed blades and folders.
- Does it attach securely to your PFD? The two different knives and sheaths I have had have been a challenge to attach to a PFD.
There is a loop piece on the sheath (not shown) where you can slide a strap through, or in my case, a piece of velcro fastener that wraps the sheathe to my PFD shoulder harness.
- Any issues ordering from this company?
Nope. I like the knife and service so much that I ordered another knife along with neo booties and hood.
“Thanks for posting about this knife. Sounds like a great. Although, my main concern is the overall 7.5 in length. I found my first knife too long. It got in the way of doing re entrys and general paddling.”
Too me, this knife is the perfect size for all around utility, except cutting trees. I haven’t had any problem with it hanging things up. But, honestly, I have done a paddle float rescue in awhile, since I roll and/or practice re-enter and roll. The custom talonite knife I lost was in doing a paddle float or partner assisted rescue with Peter K. The knife came out of my sheath and is still at the bottom of Walden Pond somewhere. The sheath lock on the titanium knife is integrated with the handle. A better design though of cheaper material.
sing
well
Did you notice its used by the US military? Service does have its perks!!